Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Hill’s® Science Diet® and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Science Diet® Feline Urinary Hairball Control food but Suzi/Confessions of a Fitness Instructor only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s® Science Diet® is not responsible for the content of this article.
His name is Pekoe. Or as we like to call him, Ginger Calypso (his superhero name), or on more informal occasions simply, “sir”.
The thing about Pekoe is, he’s a bit of a diva. I mean clearly he’s got a very difficult life living with us…
so bad in fact, that one of my friends says that when she dies, she wants to be reincarnated as one of our cats. But don’t bother trying to tell him that, because he knows he’s got it rough. And while he loudly demands I make the bed everyday and then refuses to sleep on it (I’m pretty sure he just likes joining in on the bed making process), and has to be brushed every time after he’s been is fed (oh I wish I were joking), the guy has had some health problems in his life so his complaints are entirely unfounded.
For one, he falls victim to the hairball trap frequently, though a bit less so now that we’ve instituted the, “brush him 700 times a day after he eats,” rule. It’s funny that Ollie with her double coat, rarely gets hairballs, but “sir” has at least one a week.
Nobody likes throwing up, so I do feel bad for him when it happens. But perhaps if he was a little less obsessed with keeping his fur so primped this wouldn’t be an issue. The poor guy has even had them so bad that we had to take him to the vet for treatment. And we all know, nobody likes going to the vet!
Hairballs aside, Pekoe has had an even more serious health issue, one that has left him on prescription medicine for the rest of his life. Urinary crystals. Male cats are at a higher risk of blockage due to crystals, and therefore have to be taken much more seriously than females. Probably nine years ago (yes, Mr. Pekoe is getting up there in years. I won’t tell you his age because like any true diva, he likes to keep it a secret), he became so sick from urinary crystals that we had to call the emergency vet line and take him in late on a Friday night.
I remember it was a Friday because it was my first day of vacation, and we had planned to go to PEI that Monday, a trip that never happened because we had to spend all of the trip money on emergency surgery. #CatPeopleProblems
Without getting into a related side story that made the evening even more upsetting, I’ll leave it by saying we took him to the vet where we were rushed right into the operating room and were standing there while he was prepared for surgery. The poor guy had to stay in the “hospital” for 2 or 3 days, but thankfully made a full recovery.
One of the cats we had when I was growing up, had the same problem but we didn’t realize it until it was too late. He was not as lucky.
That’s why both Pekoe (who just happens to be sitting here meowing at me as I type) and I are happy to tell you about the new formula from Hill’s® Science Diet® that addresses both the two main issues Pekoe and many other kitties face – urinary issues and hairballs. I can’t help but think had this been available ten years ago maybe he wouldn’t have had to go through what he did.
Hill’s® new cat food provides precisely balanced nutrition to help support the health of the whole urinary system with optimal levels of magnesium, natural fibre to help reduce hairballs, antioxidants, and is made without artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives.
Like I mentioned above, because of his history, Pekoe is required to be on prescription medicated food for the rest of his life. To those of you reading this who have healthy kitties without pre-existing conditions, using a food such as Hill’s® Science Diet® Adult Urinary Hairball Control could prevent those costly vet trips, and possibly mean you and your furry friend could spend more years together.
And don’t fall into the trap thinking it’s only the boy cats who can have urinary problems. My little sidekick Ollie recently had a bad bladder infection. Thankfully because she is a girl the vet was able to tell us what to do over the phone and we were able to treat her right at home – but it just goes to show, all the kitties can benefit from this new formula.
Where to buy: Hill’s® Science Diet® Adult Urinary Hairball Control can be found at your local PetSmart stores across Canada.
You can connect with PetSmart on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and with Hill’s® Pet Nutrition on Twitter and Facebook.
ABOUT HILL’S®
For more than 70 years Hill’s has pledged to enrich and lengthen the special relationships people have with their pets. Their foods are made with balanced nutrition for happy, healthy lives together.
Pekoe may be a diva, but he’s worth the extra effort to keep him healthy. I love that boy!!
He appreciates your endorsement! 😀